DOHA: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) co-hosted an International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) high-level side event on ‘Wildlife and Forest Crime: A Serious Crime’ on the sidelines of the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Doha.
The event was opened by the President of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sam Kutesa, and co-chaired by the UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, and CITES Secretary-General, John E. Scanlon. Representatives of five Member States together with the five agencies comprising ICCWC, namely the CITES Secretariat, INTERPOL, UNODC, the World Bank and the World Customs Organization (WCO), all actively participated in the event, alongside a number of other organizations.
The event provided a unique opportunity to raise awareness about the scale and nature of wildlife and forest crime, which has escalated to unprecedented levels in recent years as a result of the increased involvement of transnational organized crime groups and on some occasions rebel militia. Wildlife poaching and trafficking now poses a serious threat to the survival of some of the world’s most charismatic species, as well as many other lesser known species.
Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director, highlighted the destructive nature of wildlife crime, “Wildlife and forest crime is profoundly destructive, with far-reaching consequences – undermining development and stability, threatening biodiversity and endangered species, and contributing to climate change. And yet, too often the punishment does not fit the crime. Inadequate legislative frameworks remain far too commonplace.”
John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General, said, “ Well organized and well-resourced transnational organized crime groups are driving industrial scale illegal trade in wildlife. Combatting these groups requires wildlife crime to be recognized as a serious crime across source, transit and destination States and for States to deploy the same enforcement tools, techniques and penalties to fight illegal trade in wildlife as those used to combat other domestic and transnational organized crimes.”
“This week’s Congress in Doha on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is where such matters must be discussed. For the first time, wildlife crime is on the Congress agenda and we warmly welcome the adoption of the Doha Declaration”, added Scanlon.
The Doha Declaration adopted at the Congress provides a further strong basis for States to put an end to the current high levels of illicit trafficking of wild fauna and flora. The Peninsula
DOHA: ‘Doha Declaration’ at the 13th Crime Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice can power rule of law-development alliance for years to come, said Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in a statement yesterday.
Passed by acclamation at the 13th UN Crime Congress, the Doha Declaration contains recommendations on how the rule of law can protect and promote sustainable development. The organizing principles of the declaration are that sustainable development and the rule of law are mutually reinforcing and crime prevention and criminal justice should be integrated into the wider UN system, said the statement.
Throughout the declaration emphasis is placed on fair, effective, humane and accountable criminal justice systems. Nations are invited to uphold human dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms and to prevent corruption and to enhance transparency and integrity. The declaration states that international cooperation is the cornerstone of efforts to enhance crime prevention. Eradication of illiteracy is also viewed as fundamental to the prevention of crime and corruption.
Child and youth related issues sit at the heart of the recommendations and should be fully integrated into criminal reform efforts. It is also important that the results of the Doha Youth Forum that fed into the declaration are given the necessary support by Member States. Each of these recommendations has been crafted with the intent of creating a powerful point of departure for turning these principles into solutions that assist the victims of crime.
The Doha Declaration would not have been possible without the wisdom of the Qatari government which—from the moment the venue of the 13th Crime Congress was announced—has set out with single-minded resolve to achieve agreement on the Doha Declaration. Their diplomatic industry led to bilateral missions to capitals to discuss crucial elements of the declaration, as well as support for pre-congress negotiations. In all these deliberations, the Qatari government never turned from the path of creating not just wise words, but the firm foundation for action.
The result is a declaration that has energized the 60-year legacy of Crime Congresses and given it the power to shape how we tackle crime and promote development for years to come. I offer my wholehearted congratulations to the Qatari government and people for their generous support for the Crime Congress. I pledge UNODC’s enduring engagement in the coming years to ensure that these recommendations are fully implemented throughout the world, ended the statement.
The Peninsula
